Regular Monday without Suzanne!

Yesterday, when we got home from buying two 'new to us' beds, driving around town like the Kampets, we turned up our road to my super healthy neighbor Terri on her way to a long walk. As I got my daily exercise points unloading mattresses, she was out enjoying nature. You can imagine my surprise when I listened to my messages and there was a message from her! "Alana! We must have coffee! Call Me!"

I got so excited! My hip healthy neighbor wanted to have coffee with me! I picked up the phone to call her and right then, from my peripheral vision, I picked up a sight. It was a sight that I had been trying to exist within and yet avoid for a few days. I wanted to deal with it, but could never get a handle on how to start dealing with it. This sight, (that I had been only slightly in denial about), was the sight of a totally out of control mess!

After this crazy emotional week and this house getting totally out of hand, the stars were finally aligning to motivate me to tame this beast! What were those stars you ask? Vince taking the kids on the school camping trip was a huge help and Terri wanting to come over for a hang out, well, let's just say... it's really not the best way to start a new neighborly coffee clatch, bringing someone cool into your mess! It's a hot mess, but mess none the less!


Today, I spent the whole day getting my life back...

This was the downstairs bathroom.... before....


and.............................after...

Entryway before .......... and............................after

Well, I guess this kitchen was almost a health code violation..............................................................................................but not any more.

No, this recycling center is not working.................................................................but now?

And this sink! From those windows we usually look out onto God's creation, but I think this afternoon God was looking in on me, shining that miraculous light.... on cleanness! Now that I can see this table, I am reminded of all the humorous times spent sitting around it. Like that time Falcom picked up a fly from the floor and threw it into Mike M's salad while we were entertaining his 90 year old father and Supreme Court Judge Brother. Ah! The memories

Yea, I even tried to vacuum and then remembered there is a reason I hadn't vacuumed in a while, the belt is broken. See...I wasn't just avoiding it!

Will I be able to get the rest of the family to help me with upkeep? We will see. Does my heart feel lighter? Yes. Is it weird to put the family mess into the universe for the world to see? Perhaps it will guilt me into doing a better job enforcing clean up committees. We will see.


And then off to the WW without Suzanne. Can you imagine a week without Suzanne? It didn't have the same intense humor, but I felt well loved. Again, as always! I lost 1.8 of the pounds I gained last week and this week I received a 16 week celebratory charm! I've been on this road for 16 weeks now. Imagine that! This is my friend Gabe holding my charm...

Exciting news on the blogging front, Lynne started her own fabulous blog! Please access it at

http://baydweller.blogspot.com/

Between me, Irene and Lynne we must have the grooviest community in the state. I mean really!

So tonight, I leave DeeJay alone and go sleep at Mema's shack where I will meet Vince and Marina. I will take Marina with me in the morning to Johnson Lake where I will get to have my final Otter Beach camping experience. Until Wednesday...